The Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of Community and Cultural Affairs, helped launch Provincial Library Week 2001 today at the Confederation Centre Children's Library in Charlottetown. Library Week began with the announcement of a special book program with the TD Bank which will see all kindergarten and grade one students across the province invited to the library to receive a free book, "Nicholas at the Library." The Provincial Library Service will celebrate Library Week from October 15 to 20.
"From electronic databases to the Summer Reading Program, the Provincial Library Service contributes to the economic and social development of the province," says Minister Shea. "The theme of the week is 'Libraries: where the future begins / La bibliotheque c'est le point de depart du future.' I invite all Islanders to visit their local public library and explore their future."
The special book program is presented by the TD Bank Financial Group and the Canadian Children's Book Centre in partnership with the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs. Each November, Canadian authors, illustrators and storytellers from coast to coast meet young readers and share the job of book creation for and about Canadian children. A special book is also made available to Canadian children in celebration of the TD Canadian Children's Book Week, Canada's largest annual festival of reading and Canadian children's literature.
"This book program is a wonderful opportunity to get more books into the hands of Island children and to bring more youth into our community libraries," says Minister Shea.
The public are invited to call their local library to see what is planned to celebrate the theme. Local activities include:
• An informational evening hosted by the Georgetown Library for people interested in learning about the medicinal properties of herbs and plants grown and harvested by Margie Loo. The event will be held on Tuesday, October 16 beginning at 7:00 p.m.
• An Internet training session in O'Leary is scheduled for Tuesday, October 16, 1 - 3 p.m. for parents and grandparents who want to learn to send and receive email from family members.
• Sarah Jackson and Theresa Penny will give a demonstration from 1 - 2 p.m., Tuesday, October 16 at the Murray River Library of two of the quilts they copied from personal photographs.
• The launch of "American Standard and Other Poems" by Joe Sherman at the Confederation Centre Public Library on Thursday, October 18 at 7:30.
• The Murray Harbour Library will demonstrate how to transfer family photos to a CD on Wednesday, October 17 beginning at 6:30.
"Library Week is an opportunity to celebrate the importance of libraries to the community, and we invite all Islanders to visit their local library this week and throughout the year," says Allan Groen, Provincial Librarian.
Services at the library can be accessed through the web at www.library.pe.ca or through the blue pages of the phone book under "Libraries."